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Abstract:

Methods and systems using aggregated electrical system load profiles in
determining additional load profiles, and determining consumption
management system characteristics, features, and operating requirements
at a site are disclosed, along with methods of generating and maintaining
databases of load profile information and consumption management system
requirements. By using some embodiments of the methods and systems
described herein, it is faster and easier to design and implement
effective consumption management systems, to determine problematic
electrical systems at a site, and to diminish anomalous consumption
patterns in an aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile.

Claims:

1. A method for obtaining load profiles for unprofiled loads at a site,
comprising: obtaining an aggregate unprofiled electrical system load
profile of a site; identifying an anomalous consumption pattern in the
aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile; identifying an
individual electrical system at the site contributing to the cause of the
anomalous consumption pattern; and obtaining consumption management data
for the individual electrical system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the aggregate unprofiled electrical
system load profile is obtained by subtracting at least one stored load
profile of a profiled electrical system at the site from an overall load
profile of the site.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing the consumption
management data in a database.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: implementing a consumption
management system to the site capable of managing consumption of said
individual electrical system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: managing the consumption of
said individual electrical system using said consumption management
system.

8. The method of claim 1, said anomalous consumption pattern comprising
consumption values, and wherein said individual electrical system at the
site is identified due to correlation between consumption of the
individual electrical system and the consumption values of the anomalous
consumption pattern.

9. The method of claim 1, said anomalous consumption pattern comprising
time of consumption values, and wherein said unprofiled individual
electrical system at the site is identified due to correlation between
time that consumption takes place of the unprofiled individual electrical
system and the time of consumption values of the anomalous consumption
pattern.

10. A method of managing the consumption of electrical systems at a site,
comprising: obtaining an aggregate unprofiled electrical system load
profile of a site; identifying an anomalous consumption pattern in the
aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile; and obtaining
consumption management system criteria from the anomalous consumption
pattern in the aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the aggregate unprofiled electrical
system load profile is obtained by subtracting at least one stored load
profile of a profiled electrical system at the site from an overall load
profile of the site.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the consumption management criteria
define requirements for a consumption management system to diminish the
anomalous consumption pattern in the aggregate unprofiled electrical
system load profile.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising: storing said consumption
management criteria in a database for storing consumption management
criteria.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: implementing a
consumption management system at the site capable of managing consumption
of one or more electrical systems at the site, the consumption management
system meeting said consumption management system criteria.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising: managing the consumption
of electrical systems at the site using said consumption management
system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: managing the consumption
of electrical systems at the site using said consumption management
system in such a manner as to diminish the anomalous consumption pattern.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the implemented consumption
management system is configured to diminish the anomalous consumption
pattern through curtailment or load shedding of unprofiled electrical
systems at the site.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the implemented consumption
management system is configured to diminish the anomalous consumption
pattern through providing energy to the unprofiled electrical systems at
the site from energy storage or energy generation in the consumption
management system.

19. The method of claim 10, said anomalous consumption pattern having
load profile characteristics, wherein said consumption management system
criteria correlate with the load profile characteristics of the anomalous
consumption pattern.

20. A method for obtaining load profiles for unprofiled loads at a site,
comprising: obtaining an aggregate unprofiled electrical system load
profile of a utility customer site; identifying an anomalous consumption
pattern in the aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile;
identifying an individual electrical system at the site contributing to
the cause of the anomalous consumption pattern; and adjusting the usage
of the individual electrical system to diminish the anomalous consumption
pattern.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] A related patent application was filed in the United States Patent
and Trademark Office on Mar. 5, 2012 as Ser. No. 13/412,517, titled
"Aggregation of Load Profiles for Consumption Management Systems," which
is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety as if it has been
reproduced as part of this document.

[0003] Electricity consumers in recent years have been faced with rising
energy costs and rising needs to address environmental and efficiency
concerns. Energy consumption management systems have been developed with
these needs in mind to reduce energy consumption during periods having
higher electricity costs, to expand the availability of charging
electrically-powered vehicles, to participate in demand response programs
hosted by utilities, and to counteract the appearance of demand charges
assessed by utilities, among other goals. These systems typically monitor
the consumption of a site, generate a load profile for the site to
visualize the consumption over time, and control the use of loads, energy
storage, on-site generation, and other assets in order to manipulate the
shape and size of the load profile of the site, thereby optimizing the
consumption of electrical energy used to better meet the needs of
consumers.

[0004] There are many obstacles to implementing a consumption management
system. One such obstacle is an unknown load profile for a site. Because
consumption management systems become significantly more cost effective
and efficient when tightly integrated with the consumption needs of the
site, load profiles are required in many cases in order to select a
consumption management system that can best serve the needs of the
customer. Unfortunately the most effective load profiles can take weeks,
months, or even longer to generate by measuring consumption data at a
site in real-time. Even after a load profile is generated, it may not
give a clear picture as to how to best manage the consumption at the
site. It may not be immediately apparent which devices or electrical
systems at the site need to be controlled or mitigated in order to
achieve the consumer's consumption management goals because all of the
systems at the site are simultaneously measured and details about
individual system management needs and suitability for curtailment,
mitigation, and other practices are buried in the overall information
gathered.

[0005] While many technologies have been developed for optimizing the
usage of consumption management devices, they are difficult to match to
unknown sites or for sites in which individual electrical systems have
different needs. Therefore it is common that the provision and
installation of management services and devices will have an
unpredictable impact on the consumption of the site. This leads to
inefficient expense of capital and other difficult up-front decisions
about how to best approach energy consumption management for a particular
site.

BRIEF SUMMARY

[0006] There is a need for methods providing more expedient electrical
system load profiling and that can assist in managing a utility
customer's electrical systems, particularly when used to optimize the
components and capabilities of consumption management systems that will
be implemented for consumers. Embodiments of the invention presented
herein assist in providing faster and easier energy consumption auditing,
automatic identification of components that would effectively manage
loads and of anomalous loads, and contribute to an ongoing self-learning
process that improves consumption auditing and implementation of
consumption management systems as more information is gathered.

[0007] In some embodiments of the invention, load profiles are stored and
maintained in a database or repository of indexed load profile
information. Indexed load profiles may be assembled into aggregate load
profiles suitable for selecting or designing a consumption management
system. Load profiles are obtained by monitoring devices and gathering
consumption information from the devices over time. In some embodiments,
load profiles for a device may be used as models of load profiles of
devices that have not been measured. In some embodiments the indexed of
load profiles indicate management system requirements such as consumption
mitigation, curtailment, or load shedding requirements or availability
for the profiled devices. In some embodiments, the database of load
profiles is used to select or design a consumption management apparatus
for use at the site at which a load was profiled, or at a site for which
a similar load has been profiled, even if the similar load was not
profiled at the site.

[0008] In some embodiments of the invention, an anomalous consumption
pattern is detected in a load profile that is an aggregation of loads at
the site that are unprofiled. One or more of the individual unprofiled
electrical systems are compared to the aggregate load profile and are
identified as contributing to the cause of the anomalous consumption
pattern. These loads are then profiled and may be added to a database of
profiled loads for future energy audits. In some embodiments, a
consumption management system for the site may be implemented based on
the connections and components needed to manage these individual
electrical systems. This management system may be used to manage the
overall load profile to prevent it from exceeding a given utility
consumption level, such as a demand charge-invoking threshold value. The
new load profiles of the identified electrical systems may also be used
as the basis for an estimated aggregate load profile generated from
profile data of all of the profiled loads at the site, which may be used
as a guide for determining appropriate consumption management components
and strategies.

[0009] In some embodiments, identified individual electrical systems that
contribute to the anomalous consumption pattern are classified and the
characteristics of a suitable consumption management system for those
systems are obtained. These characteristics can be assembled into a
database of information to be used as a reference when implementing new
consumption management systems in the future.

[0010] In some embodiments, the anomalous consumption pattern in the
aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile is used as a direct
indicator of how to make and/or use a consumption management system at
the site.

[0011] Additional and alternative features, advantages, and embodiments of
the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in
part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by the
practice of the invention. The features and advantages of the invention
may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations
particularly pointed out in the appended claims. These and other features
of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the
following description and appended claims, or may be learned by the
practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In addition to the novel features and advantages mentioned above,
other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily
apparent from the following descriptions of the drawings and exemplary
embodiments.

[0013]FIG. 1 is a block diagram flowchart illustrating a method of an
embodiment of the invention.

[0014]FIG. 2 shows charted load profiles of electrical systems at a site
and an aggregated load profile from an embodiment of the invention.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a block diagram flowchart illustrating a method of an
embodiment of the invention.

[0016]FIG. 4 is a block diagram flowchart illustrating a method of an
embodiment of the invention.

[0020]FIG. 8 illustrates a method of using an aggregate unprofiled load
profile to obtain an additional load profile of an individual electrical
system at a site and a result when the method is repeated.

[0021]FIG. 9 is a block diagram flowchart illustrating a method of an
embodiment of the invention.

[0022]FIG. 10 is a block diagram flowchart illustrating a method of an
embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] General Information

[0024] Typical embodiments of the invention are directed to methods and
systems using electrical load profiles in databases and for implementing
customized electricity consumption management systems. Preferred
embodiments of the invention may provide ability to more effectively
determine the needs of an energy consumption management system at a site,
may assist in identifying loads that need to be adjusted or controlled,
and may constantly improve the process as more information is gathered
about various electrical systems at sites.

[0025] As used herein, an "electrical system" refers to an electrical
circuit or device which consumes electrical energy. Typical exemplary
sites such as a place of business have one or more electrical systems
connected to an electrical service panel, and the electrical systems draw
electrical energy from a connection to an electrical utility distribution
grid. Individual electrical systems may be separable from each other, or
co-dependent on each other to operate, depending on the configuration of
each individual electrical system. Individual electrical systems may
include one or more devices or loads, insofar as they all may be
categorized as a single system of loads. In this document, an electrical
system may be referred to as a load for convenience, but when this
reference is used it should not be construed as excluding an electrical
system that contain plural or multiple loads.

[0026] An electrical system may be "profiled," or, in other words, have a
load profile generated for it, when characteristics of its electrical
consumption are tracked over time. Characteristics of electrical
consumption in this case are measurable or derived electrical
characteristics, such as the current or voltage of the electrical system,
current or voltage of connections to the electrical system, the wattage
or watt-hours used by the electrical system, and other comparable
electrical characteristics. A load profile displays the power used by the
electrical system over time, and the energy used by an electrical system
may be determined by integration of the load profile over time. Load
profiles can span any length of time and can be a point of analysis for
consumption management manipulation in many ways.

[0027] "Consumption management system" (or "CMS") as used herein, refers
to a system of electrical devices and processes capable of affecting the
consumption of an electrical system, group of electrical systems, or of a
site as a whole. For example, a CMS may comprise a controller such as a
computer that, when connected to an electrical system, controls when the
electrical system is turned on or off, thereby turning the consumption of
the electrical system on or off. A CMS may also be used to execute
instructions for turning electrical systems on and off or to turn
consumption of an electrical system up or down (also referred to as
curtailment or load shedding), and other consumption control schemes
known in the art. Other CMSs may affect consumption by mitigation through
providing energy to the site or to electrical systems from an energy
source, such as an energy storage system (ESS) (such as a battery,
capacitor, flywheel or other similar device) or generation asset (such as
a fuel-based generator, photovoltaic generator, fuel cell, or other
similar device). Providing energy to a load or electrical system may also
be referred to as mitigation or load shifting.

[0028] CMSs are beneficial to users in that they can provide many
different kinds of consumption management, such as load leveling, wherein
the consumption of a site or electrical system is made more level over
time (as opposed to rising during peak consumption periods and dropping
during low-consumption periods) and thereby reducing electricity bills to
the customer by deferring consumption to times of lower electricity
costs, or peak mitigation, wherein spikes or plateaus in consumption are
mitigated or otherwise reduced in order to avoid incurring electrical
utility-assessed demand charges or overloading electrical system
capabilities.

[0029] A CMS may be designed in many ways due to the multitude of
different kinds of loads to which it can connect and the many different
ways in which it can manage consumption of the same loads. Components of
a CMS may also vary widely in their cost to implement at a site, so it is
important to optimize the number and kind of components within a CMS to
maximize a return on investment. Embodiments of the invention may assist
in facilitating the analysis of a site or electrical systems so that a
CMS may be designed and brought to action at a site, or be determined to
not be implemented at the site, more efficiently.

[0030] Aggregation of Load Profiles

[0031]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the
invention wherein a method of designing a CMS for a site is provided. The
method 100 starts by identifying electrical systems at a site at step
102. Identifying an electrical system at a site here entails detecting
that an electrical system is supplied with energy at the site from the
utility distribution grid, such as that a refrigerator or electric
vehicle charger is able to draw electrical energy from the utility
distribution grid connection through wiring to a main electrical panel at
the site. This may be done by inventory, searching the location,
gathering identities of electrical systems at the site from a list or
database showing or containing the devices installed at the site, or
collecting information about the identities of the electrical systems
that are able to draw electricity from the grid at the site in some other
way. For example, if the site has "smart" loads, they may be able to
communicate their identity in some way, and that information may be
gathered in this step (i.e., 102). Not all electrical systems at a site
need to be identified in this step, but in most cases, it is best to
collect identity information about as many loads or electrical systems as
possible.

[0032] Next, in step 104, previously-generated load profiles are obtained
for electrical systems that are comparable to the electrical systems at
the site. When load profiles are obtained in this manner, this action may
refer to fetching a load profile from a list, database, or other
repository of load profiles, or may refer to measuring the consumption of
the electrical system or a comparable electrical system over time,
thereby generating a load profile before completing this step (i.e. 104).

[0033] A comparable electrical system may refer to an electrical system
that is built or configured the same as, nearly the same as, or similarly
to, the electrical system to which it is comparable. The scope of what is
comparable may vary based on the settings of the electrical system, the
electrical characteristics of the electrical system, the place in which
the electrical system is used, the history of prior use of the electrical
system, and other factors and characteristics that may have an effect on
the shape or other features of the load profile obtained. In a given
site, electrical systems which are comparable to the electrical systems
at the site are those systems for which the load profiles obtained
provide an approximation or estimation or projection of the load profiles
that the electrical systems at the site would produce if they were to be
profiled at that time. For example, a previously-generated load profile
of a lighting system at a convenience store that is sized approximately
the same, contains approximately the same style of lights, and has been
in use for approximately the same length of time may be comparable under
this definition, and the load profile of the comparable lighting system
may be obtained in this step 104. In another example, a
previously-generated load profile of a refrigeration system that is
located outdoors in a hot climate would not be used as a comparable
electrical system load profile for a refrigeration system that is indoors
in a cool climate unless the load profile of the indoor refrigeration
system is expected to be very similar to the outdoor refrigeration system
(such as if each refrigeration system has exceptional insulation
capabilities and is very rarely opened). In some preferable cases, the
comparable electrical system is identical to the electrical system at the
site. In other words, the comparable electrical system's load profile is
a load profile that was measured from the same electrical system
previously under identical operating conditions and there are negligible
changes in the electrical system over time. In some embodiments, a
comparable electrical system is deemed to be comparable because of
electrical characteristics of the electrical systems that are similar or
shared between them, such as similarity of voltage requirements, size,
need for AC or DC power, current draw, backup power usage, etc.

[0034] In some embodiments, previously-generated load profiles may be
obtained from a database 106 containing load profiles. A database may
refer to an information storage system or repository such as a list,
spreadsheet, or other storage point, whether it is stored in paper, on a
computer or memory therein, or by some other storage means known in the
art. In some of these embodiments, load profile data is also stored with
the load profiles, such as load profile shape characteristics and
electrical characteristics of the electrical systems from which the load
profiles were originally generated, as indicated by box 108. A database
in these embodiments may be an indexed database, wherein the entries in
the database are indexed or searchable by their content or by tags
assigned to the entries. For example, an indexed database of load
profiles may be searchable for load profiles having a peak in consumption
during a given time of day or day of the month or may be searchable for
load profiles that were generated from loads that consume 20 kilowatts or
more at once or that have power-over-Ethernet capability. An indexed
database embodiment having tags could be searchable by other information
attached to the entries in the database, such by entries with load
profile conditions such as a "used by a department store" tag, a
geographic location tag, a "snowy weather" tag, date of generation tag,
or other tags associated with the entries that could encompass a
multitude of different possibilities. These tags and other information
attached to or held within a database entry may facilitate obtaining
previously-generated load profiles from the database more readily or by
categorizing the entries for better organization. They may help identify
which electrical systems and load patterns would be comparable to the
electrical systems at the site.

[0035] Load profile data may include load profile characteristics or load
profile shape characteristics. Load profile characteristics include
measures such as the magnitude of portions of the load profile such as
maximum/minimum/average consumption levels and others; the length of the
load profile; the time period in which it was gathered; shape
characteristics such as peaks, spikes, plateaus, undulations, jitter, and
the like, and other recorded features and information stored in or
determinable from the profile.

[0036] Electrical characteristics of electrical systems may include
measureable electrical quantities, such as current, voltage, resistance,
etc., or other electrical features associated with the electrical
systems, such as types or numbers of connections or interfaces, capacity
of components in the electrical systems, power requirements, operating
condition requirements, the age of the systems, usage history, and other
features that would give a more complete understanding of the device or
system from which a load profile is collected or generated.

[0037] Once the previously-generated load profiles for comparable
electrical systems are obtained, they are aggregated into an aggregate
load profile for the site in step 110. The action of aggregating the load
profiles refers to adding time-correlating data in the load profiles
together to provide a load profile that is the aggregate sum of the load
profiles aggregated. For instance, if two load profiles are obtained,
then the magnitude of each profile is added together based on the time
that the profile was gathered. If one profile was gathered from 9:00 a.m.
to 10:00 a.m., and the second was gathered from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.,
then the sum of the magnitudes of the profiles during the overlapping
time period from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. would be the aggregate load profile.
In some cases, load profiles may be generated on different days over
overlapping times of those days, so the days in which the profiles were
generated do not overlap, but the times of day do overlap. In these
cases, and the aggregation method of the load profiles takes into account
the differences that the days of generation may have on the load profile
and may, for example, allow aggregation of two load profiles for days
that are near to each other chronologically, meteorologically, or by some
other standard, but not for days that are far apart by those
measurements.

[0038] An example of a load profile aggregation process is illustrated in
connection with FIG. 2, which shows load profiles of different electrical
systems in charts 200, 202, and 204. Charts 202 and 204 are aggregated to
produce chart 206, wherein the aggregate load profile 208 is shown as the
sum of the other two charts. (Profile 210 shows the consumption of the
load profile in chart 204, for reference and comparison.) These charts
are not to scale, but are intended as an illustration of the results of
aggregation without respect to specific values shown by the load
profiles.

[0039] The aggregation of load profiles in step 110 may be completed using
varying methods depending on the embodiment of the invention in use. In
some embodiments, it is preferable to aggregate all of the load profiles
obtained in step 104 into an overall aggregate load profile. This may be
advantageous in that it may give the best projection of how a load
profile for the site would appear if it was generated from the overall
site itself. In some embodiments, it is preferable to aggregate load
profiles that come from electrical systems having similar or particular
characteristics, such as aggregating profiles that come from electrical
systems that are curtailable, non-curtailable, high-power, low-power, AC,
DC, are used for a similar purpose, have similar load profile shapes,
other selected criteria, or combinations of these. This may be
advantageous in step 112, where features of a consumption management
system may be selected, as it gives a guide as to which devices or
components of the CMS may be needed, as discussed in further detail
below. For example, if only non-curtailable load profiles are aggregated
in step 110, the CMS may only need to be designed to be able to mitigate
the highest peaks in the aggregated load profile of non-curtailable loads
with an energy storage system, since peaks due to other loads may be
curtailed in some manner. Thus, limits of the size and type of energy
storage system may be derived from this aggregate load profile of
non-curtailable loads. For example, if charts 200, 202, and 204 are
profiles of electrical systems at a given site, and only charts 202 and
204 are non-curtailable, then those two charts' load profiles may be
aggregated to get aggregated load profile 208 that represents only
non-curtailable loads.

[0040] Once load profiles have been aggregated in step 110, a CMS is
designed for the site in step 112 that is based on characteristics of the
aggregate load profile. Designing a CMS for a site entails determining
the needs of the CMS to connect to and manage the consumption of the site
or electrical systems therein. A CMS may be designed to manage the entire
site's consumption or just the consumption of certain electrical systems
which are a subset of the site's consumption. A CMS may be designed with
different types or numbers of particular ports or connection protocols;
types or numbers of controllers, computers, or other processing means;
types, sizes, numbers, and other features of energy sources such as
energy storage systems or generation systems; and other features that may
make one CMS better at managing the consumption of one site or load
profile than another. For example, step 112 may include measuring the
size and shape of a peak in consumption in the aggregate load profile,
then determining the kilowatt-hours of energy storage needed to be able
to mitigate that peak to a preferred level when it is measured by the
CMS. In another example, this step may include a determination of the CMS
connections and control features needed to provide curtailment or load
shedding to the site. In yet another example, the CMS may be designed
around whether load shedding of certain electrical systems would cause
new peaks to arise in the aggregate load profile. Other design
considerations may go into the performance of this step that would be
apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art of designing CMSs.

[0041] In some embodiments step 114 may follow the completion of step 112,
whereby a CMS is provided to the site. This step may include purchasing,
building, or otherwise obtaining the parts of the CMS that are included
in the design of step 112. It may also include sending the CMS to the
site, installing it at the site, or accepting the CMS for the site.
Alternatively, a CMS may be provided in step 114 when the designs of step
112 are transmitted to others, such as representatives of the site, which
may be the consumer at the site or another involved party. In this case,
the CMS designs may be used by the receiving party to build and implement
the CMS according to the designs provided and to manage the consumption
of the electrical systems of the site using the CMS that had been
designed. The completion of step 114, or step 112, if step 114 is
skipped, indicates the end of this method 100.

[0042] Aggregation of Consumption Management System Requirements

[0043]FIG. 3 illustrates method 300, an embodiment of designing and
providing a CMS to a site based on an identification or inventory of
electrical systems at a site. The method 300 begins the same way as
method 100, by identifying electrical systems at the site in step 302.
Next, previously-generated CMS requirements for electrical systems that
are comparable to the electrical systems identified are obtained. The
performance of this step is mechanically the same as step 104, but in
this case, the information obtained is previously-generated CMS
requirements instead of load profiles. CMS requirements may include
electrical characteristics, CMS operating procedures, and component
suitability characteristics of the comparable electrical systems. These
requirements may be stored in a database of consumption management system
requirements, as shown in box 306, which database may or may not be the
same as the database of load profiles discussed in connection with FIG.
1. The features of this database 306 may be the same as the database
shown in box 106, with indexing, searchability, and other features
previously mentioned, and the information indexed may include CMS
requirements as indicated by box 308. Comparability of electrical systems
in step 304 is determined by the actual or estimated similarity between
the CMS requirements the two electrical systems, and not necessarily
whether they would have similarity or comparability between their load
profiles.

[0044] CMS operating procedures are instructions linked to an electrical
system that are related to the operation of a CMS when it is controlling
the electrical system. For example, CMS operating procedures may include
information about when the electrical system may be safely curtailed, the
ways that the electrical system may be controlled or adjusted to have its
consumption controlled or adjusted, indications of dangerous operating
conditions, or other information generated that informs the user or
controller about how to operate the electrical system for consumption
management. CMS operating procedures for an electrical system that is an
energy storage system may include safe voltage (or some other condition)
operating boundaries, directions for where or how to install the energy
storage system, procedures for using connective means or converter means
between the energy storage and other portions of a site, etc.

[0045] Component suitability characteristics of electrical systems
describe the components of a CMS that are suitable to manage the
consumption of the electrical system. Exemplary characteristics include
information about devices that would be suitable to curtail the
particular electrical system, information about energy sources that can
mitigate the electrical system, compatible load shedding devices and
parameters, and other such information. These characteristics may vary
from site to site or from electrical system to electrical system,
depending on where or when the characteristics are generated. Component
suitability characteristics of electrical systems may overlap with
electrical characteristics or operating procedures of an electrical
system in some respects.

[0046] Once the previously-generated CMS requirements for electrical
systems comparable to the electrical systems identified at the site are
obtained in step 304, the previously-generated CMS requirements are
aggregated in step 310. Electrical characteristics, consumption
management operating procedures, and component suitability
characteristics of the electrical systems are collected and compared to
produce an aggregate requirement listing. For instance, if the CMS
requirements obtained include times when curtailment may take place for
various loads, these requirements are combined into a timeline of
curtailment opportunities, the total amount of curtailment available from
all electrical systems at any given time, times when curtailment is
unavailable, or another combination of the information that would be
useful in designing a CMS for the site. In another example, if the CMS
requirements include electrical characteristics of the electrical
systems, they may be aggregated to determine the total power output of
converters needed to connect the electrical systems to an energy storage
system, the number of connections needed to control all of the electrical
systems at the site, or other relevant information that could be used in
step 312.

[0047] Step 312 comes next, wherein a CMS is designed for the site which
follows the aggregated CMS requirements, similar to how the CMS is
designed in step 112 with components, electrical characteristics, etc.
Step 314 may optionally follow step 312 before the end of the method,
wherein a CMS is provided to the site as discussed in detail with step
114.

[0048] Use of Aggregate Unprofiled Electrical System Load Profiles for
Load Profiling

[0049] In some sites, databases of electrical systems, CMS requirements,
and load profiles are incomplete or out of date, so aggregating
previously-generated load profiles may not provide an acceptable model of
what an overall load profile would be, and there may be room for
improvement by profiling new loads. In some situations, an overall load
profile for the site may be available or determinable, but aggregating
known CMS requirements and load profile information does not correct the
effects of some undesirable resulting load profile characteristics or
electrical charges at the site. In still other cases, it may be that some
electrical systems at a site do not have usable load profiles for
aggregation, and there is a need for a method of determining load
profiles of loads and electrical systems that can be catalogued and
indexed for use in designs and implementations of future CMSs or for
other purposes. The following methods provide means for a user to
determine which electrical systems would be beneficial to profile or for
which to it would be beneficial to collect or generate CMS suitability
characteristics, and then to put this information to use.

[0050]FIG. 4 shows a flowchart illustration of an embodiment of the
invention of a method 400 related to guiding the obtaining and using of
load profiles for unprofiled loads at a site. FIGS. 5, 6, 7, and 8 show
charts of load profiles that will be used as a reference to illustrate
features of the embodiment described in FIG. 4 and other figures below.

[0051] The method 400 starts when an aggregate unprofiled electrical
system load profile of a site is obtained in step 402. One manner in
which this step may be performed is by obtaining an overall load profile
representing the consumption of all electrical systems, whether
previously-profiled or not, at the site, then subtracting all
time-corresponding load profiles of the profiled electrical systems at
the site from the overall load profile. This produces an aggregate
unprofiled electrical system load profile, which is a load profile that
is an aggregation of all of the electrical systems at the site for which
no acceptable load profile is available. FIG. 5 shows a chart 500 of an
overall load profile of a site, wherein the consumption of all electrical
systems at the site is combined. Charts 502, 504, and 506 illustrate some
of the load profiles of electrical systems at the site (not to scale)
that are previously generated. FIG. 6 shows a chart 600 wherein the
overall load profile of chart 500 is shown as profile 602. All
previously-generated loads are subtracted from profile 602 to produce
profile 604, the aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile.
Likewise, in FIG. 7, chart 700 shows the overall load profile of a site,
this time over a period of approximately three days, charts 702 and 704
show previously-generated load profiles for some loads at the site (not
to scale), and chart 706 shows an aggregate unprofiled electrical system
load profile 708 that is obtained when all previously-generated load
profiles are subtracted from the overall load profile of chart 700.

[0052] In some embodiments the aggregate unprofiled electrical system load
profile represents the total consumption at the site wherein the cause of
the consumption is not recorded as being linked to a specific electrical
system at the site. An overall load profile may be used in step 402 that
is generated as part of the completion of this step, or it may be an
overall load profile that has been previously generated.

[0053] In another embodiment, step 402 may be completed by connecting one
or more consumption measurement system to the loads at the site for which
no acceptable load profile is available, and aggregating the output of
the consumption measurement systems into an aggregate unprofiled
electrical system load profile of the site. This embodiment is not as
preferable as the preceding embodiments since it requires more equipment
and it can be difficult to find and monitor all of the loads that would
be needed to create the aggregate unprofiled electrical system load
profile. Other methods of obtaining the aggregate unprofiled electrical
system load profile may also be used, as will be apparent to those
knowledgeable in the art of consumption measurement and management.

[0054] In the next step 404, an anomalous consumption pattern is
identified, detected, or determined in the aggregate unprofiled
electrical system load profile. An anomalous consumption pattern is a
one-time occurring or recurring pattern in a load profile that is
different than would otherwise be considered normal, or that meets a
predetermined set of guidelines or criteria for identifying an anomaly in
a load profile. For example, an anomalous consumption pattern may be a
peak or drop in consumption that appears once ever, or once per week. In
chart 606, the patterns of the aggregate unprofiled system load profile
include consumption peak 608, consumption drop 610, and consumption peak
612. These peaks or drops may be predetermined under guidelines or
criteria such as: (1) "a peak that is 10 kW higher than the surrounding
load profile for 3 minutes or longer," (2) "a drop-off in consumption of
more than 15 kW from the average consumption level between the hours of
6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.," (3) "a peak that contributes 25% or more of the
total load that appears in a peak in the overall load profile that is 45
kW or higher for 2 minutes or more" (as peak 612 could represent), or
another comparable set of guidelines. The peaks or drops may also be a
recurring pattern, where a peak appears at the same time every day, or a
plateau of consumption occurs on weekdays in the summer, but not in the
winter, or another pattern that would suggest that something is abnormal
at that time in the load profile or at the site. In chart 706, the
aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile 708 has a particular
recurring load pattern in periods 710 and 712, but the pattern is delayed
on the third day in period 714, so the consumption of period 714 may be
considered to be an identified anomalous consumption pattern. Thus, in
some embodiments, an anomalous consumption pattern is a consumption
pattern that may appear to be normal in its magnitude, but appears at an
abnormal time.

[0055] The identification of an anomalous consumption pattern may take
place by running the load profile through a computer program algorithm
for detecting anomalies in a load profile, by personal observation, by
reference through another system of measurement, such as by tracking
anomalous temperature changes and then referring to the load profile to
confirm the presence of an anomalous consumption pattern, or some other
means apparent to one of skill in the art.

[0056] With an anomalous consumption pattern identified in step 404, the
next step 406 is to identify an unprofiled electrical system contributing
to the cause of the anomalous consumption pattern. Because the aggregate
unprofiled electrical system load profile is only comprised of the
consumption of unprofiled loads, one or more of the electrical systems at
the site that are unprofiled is causing or contributing to the cause of
the anomalous consumption pattern, and in this step 406, they are found.
For example, a user may notice an anomalous consumption pattern in the
form of a peak that appears at the same time each morning. Under step
406, the magnitude of the peak is examined and electrical systems at the
site that are likely contributors to the cause of the peak are singled
out, such as a coffee maker that typically operates only in the mornings
or a refrigerator that is stocked in the mornings, causing the compressor
to turn on in the mornings more than at other times. These systems may
then be adjusted or controlled at that time in the morning to determine,
for example, whether turning them off eliminates or otherwise affects the
anomalous consumption pattern. If an electrical system affects the
anomalous pattern, it has been identified as an unprofiled electrical
system contributing to its cause.

[0057] Once an individual electrical system has been identified as
directly contributing to the cause of the anomalous consumption pattern,
the next step 408 is to obtain consumption management data such as an
additional load profile and/or consumption management suitability
characteristics for it. The additional load profile may be obtained
through measurement of its consumption over time and generating a load
profile for the electrical system, it may be obtained by matching the
electrical system that is identified with a load profile that is from a
comparable electrical system, or it may be obtained through another means
apparent to those having skill in the art. Consumption management
suitability characteristics may also be assembled for the electrical
system by inspection of the system or its load profile. After the
completion of step 408, the method 400 may end or may return to the
start. Upon returning to the start, the next iteration of the method 400
would obtain an aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile that
now does not contain the load profile of the individual electrical
system, and the anomalous consumption pattern will be decreased,
diminished, or eliminated from the next-obtained aggregate unprofiled
electrical system load profile. In this fashion, repeated performance of
the method 400 may be completed until no anomalous consumption patterns
exist in the unprofiled electrical system load profile of the site.

[0058] For example, FIG. 8 shows several charts having load profiles of
electrical systems and aggregations of electrical systems at a site. In
chart 800, an overall load profile 802 and an aggregate unprofiled
electrical system load profile 804 of the overall load profile 802 are
shown together. Chart 806 shows an anomalous consumption pattern detected
within period 808. The electrical system or systems contributing to the
cause of this pattern are identified, and an additional load profile is
obtained for the electrical system, as shown in chart 810. It is clear
when looking at chart 810 that the electrical system identified
contributes to the cause of the anomalous consumption pattern in period
808 since the load profile of chart 810 has a peak during that period
808. If the method is repeated, then the next aggregate unprofiled
electrical system load profile (shown in chart 812), has a diminished
anomalous consumption pattern during period 808 because in this next
iteration of the method, the load profile in chart 810 is now part of the
set of profiled electrical systems at the site. Therefore, in this next
iteration of the method, an anomalous consumption pattern is not
identified in period 808, and the electrical system that has the profile
of chart 810 can be better managed by a CMS implemented at the site.

[0059] A "diminished" consumption pattern may have a decreased magnitude
of consumption, a more corrected time of appearance, a decreased effect
on the overall consumption or an aggregated load profile, a decreased
rate of appearance, a reduced effect on utility costs, or a related
result that may be apparent to one skilled in the art.

[0060] In some embodiments, after performance of step 408, step 410 is
completed before the process ends or returns to the start. If this is the
case, in step 410, a CMS is implemented at the site for management of at
least the individual electrical system identified in step 406 and for
which a profile is obtained in step 408. Implementing a CMS may be
equivalent to providing a CMS as discussed previously in this document,
such as installing a CMS or providing a design of a CMS to a site or to
the representative of a site. The CMS implemented in this step 410 is
capable of managing the consumption of the electrical system identified.
Therefore, if a CMS is already in place at the site at the start of the
method 400, in this step the implementation of the CMS may be defined as
merely adding capability of the CMS to manage the consumption of the
individual electrical system, if not installing or implementing a
completely different or new CMS.

[0061] Step 412 shows a step present in some embodiments wherein the
consumption of the electrical system or systems managed by the CMS of
step 410 is actually managed by the CMS. In other words, this step may
include discharging an energy storage system to prevent a peak in the
consumption of the electrical system or systems, curtailing loads when
consumption begins to rise, and executing other methods of managing
consumption.

[0062] In some embodiments, the additional load profile or consumption
management suitability characteristics for the electrical system that are
obtained in step 408 are added to or stored in a database. This database
may be the same as or separate from the databases discussed previously in
this document, and may have the features and characteristics of the
databases previously discussed in this document. This step may be
performed in parallel with steps 410 or 412 before the end of the process
400, may be performed without performance of steps 410 or 412, or in
sequence therewith, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4.

[0063]FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the invention that is a method
900 of adjusting the usage of individual electrical systems at a site
which is related to the method of FIG. 4. In this method 900, an
aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile of the site is
obtained in step 902, and then an anomalous consumption pattern is
identified in the aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile in
step 904. Next, electrical systems contributing to the cause of the
anomalous consumption pattern are investigated and identified in step
906, as is described in step 406. However, in this embodiment, instead of
obtaining an additional load profile or CMS suitability characteristics,
the usage of the individual electrical system is adjusted by means other
than use of a CMS. For example, if the individual electrical system
identified is a refrigerator that has a compressor that turns on at an
inopportune time of day that causes a spike in consumption at that time
because the refrigerator has its doors left open for a long period of
time while it is restocked, then in step 908, the time at which the
stocking of the refrigerator takes place may be adjusted to a more
opportune time, the temperature of the refrigerator settings may be
turned up manually, or the doors may have automatic closing hinges
installed to prevent the peak from appearing, or some other non-CMS
adjustment may take place that would diminish or eliminate the appearance
of the anomalous consumption pattern. In some embodiments, this
adjustment is accompanied by or preceded by the obtaining and storage of
a load profile for the individual electrical system in a database, as
shown by step 910.

[0065]FIG. 10 is another process flowchart showing a method 1000 of using
an aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile to directly obtain
consumption management suitability characteristics, and potentially to
store these characteristics or use them in implementing a CMS at a site.
At the start, an aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile of
the site is obtained in step 1002. Next, an anomalous consumption pattern
in the aggregate unprofiled electrical system load profile is identified
in step 1004. With this pattern identified, consumption management
suitability characteristics of the pattern are obtained in step 1006 and
the process 1000 may end.

[0066] For an anomalous consumption pattern, consumption management system
criteria or suitability characteristics may be obtained by examining the
load profile characteristics of the pattern and determining CMS
characteristics or components that would be needed to diminish the
anomalous consumption pattern. This step 1006 differs from comparable
steps in previous methods described herein in that the CMS
characteristics or components are not directly reliant on identification
of a particular individual electrical system, but are determined from the
aggregation of multiple unprofiled electrical systems' load profiles
(presumably, if there is more than one unprofiled electrical system at
the site). Therefore, the CMS characteristics or components obtained from
this pattern are characteristics or components that would apply to all of
the unprofiled loads, and possibly also all of the profiled loads, such
as an energy storage device that is connected to the main panel of the
site and is capable of supplying energy to the entire site without
respect to particular loads or electrical systems. The information
obtained in this step 1006 may also be the required energy storage
capacity of the energy storage device, or the maximum current rating
needed in connections between such a device and the main electrical
network in the site.

[0067] Likewise, CMS characteristics or components identified in the
consumption management suitability characteristics of this step 1006 may
include general curtailment or demand response capability of a
controller. These characteristics may include an indication that the
controller of the CMS needs to be able to reduce the load of the
unprofiled electrical systems by a certain value, or to be able to do so
at a particular time of day or year in connection with a demand response
program that the site may participate in.

[0068] In some embodiments, after completion of step 1006, a CMS may be
implemented at the site under step 1008 that has the consumption
management suitability characteristics identified in step 1006, and in
yet further embodiments, the CMS may be used to manage the consumption of
electrical systems at the site, or the site as a whole, to diminish the
anomalous consumption pattern in step 1010 before the process 1000 ends.
In some other embodiments, the consumption management suitability
characteristics and the anomalous consumption pattern or the aggregate
unprofiled electrical system load profile is stored in a database, as
typified by step 1012. Step 1012 may act as the final step in the process
1000, or it may be performed in parallel or in sequence with steps 1008
and/or step 1010, as indicated by the arrows connected thereto.

[0069] Miscellaneous Definitions and Embodiment Scope Information

[0070] Generally speaking, as used herein a "power converter" may refer to
a generic electric power converter, inverter, transformer, regulator,
voltage stabilizer, rectifier, power supply unit, or other conversion
device or combination of these devices that may be used to convert the
voltage, frequency, and/or phase of an electrical power source or signal
from one form into another form.

[0071] As used herein, an "energy storage device" ("ESD") or "energy
storage system" ("ESS") is a means for storing energy such as, for
example, electrochemical batteries, compressed gas storage, pumped hydro
storage, flywheel energy storage, capacitive energy storage,
superconductive magnetic energy storage, fuel cell energy storage,
combinations thereof, and other similar devices for energy storage known
in the art. If the energy storage device includes a battery, the battery
types may include rechargeable or non-rechargeable chemistries and
compositions, such as, for example, lead-acid, alkaline, secondary lead
acid, lithium-ion, sodium (zebra), nickel-metal hydride, nickel cadmium,
combinations thereof, and other energy storage chemistries known in the
art. Energy storage devices may be comprised of small or large numbers of
cells, capacities, voltages, amperages, and other battery properties.
They may be configured in unitary or modular designs and may follow
standardized guidelines or customized specifications.

[0072] Some methods and systems of the embodiments of the invention
disclosed herein may also be embodied as a computer-readable medium
containing instructions to complete those methods or implement those
systems. The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein includes not
only a single physical medium or single type of medium, but also a
combination of one or more tangible physical media and/or types of media.
Examples of a computer-readable medium include, but are not limited to,
one or more memory chips, hard drives, optical discs (such as CDs or
DVDs), magnetic discs, and magnetic tape drives. A computer-readable
medium may be considered part of a larger device or it may be itself
removable from the device. For example, a commonly-used computer-readable
medium is a universal serial bus (USB) memory stick that interfaces with
a USB port of a device. A computer-readable medium may store
computer-readable instructions (e.g. software) and/or computer-readable
data (i.e., information that may or may not be executable). In the
present example, a computer-readable medium (such as memory) may be
included to store instructions for the controller to operate the heating
of the ESD and historical or forecasted temperature data for the ESD or
its surroundings.

[0073] In some embodiments the energy storage devices may be integrated
with or connected to power management systems, such as those used for
peak mitigation, load leveling, or backup or uninterruptible power
supplies, since they may conveniently provide the electronic equipment
needed to connect an energy storage device to the distribution grid.
However, energy storage devices that serve other purposes may be utilized
when the necessary connecting equipment is used. Such connecting
equipment may comprise power converters for changing voltage signals,
inverters for changing AC signals to DC signals (or vice versa),
controllers for directing the operation of the power converters, signal
conditioning electronics such as stabilizing capacitors, cables,
connectors, and other items required to efficiently and safely bring the
stored energy to the distribution grid.

[0074] The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms
without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The
described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as
illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is,
therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing
description. All changes which come within the meaning and range of
equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

[0075] In addition, it should be understood that the figures described
above, which highlight the functionality and advantages of the present
invention, are presented for example purposes only and not for
limitation. The exemplary architecture of the present invention is
sufficiently flexible and configurable, such that it may be utilized in
ways other than that shown in the figures. It will be apparent to one of
skill in the art how alternative functional, logical or physical
partitioning, and configurations can be implemented to implement the
desired features of the present invention. Also, a multitude of different
constituent module or step names other than those depicted herein can be
applied to the various partitions. Additionally, with regard to flow
diagrams, operational descriptions and method claims, the order in which
the steps are presented herein shall not mandate that various embodiments
be implemented to perform the recited functionality in the same order
unless the context dictates otherwise.

[0076] Although the invention is described above in multiple various
exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that
the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more
of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to
the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead can
be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other
embodiments of the invention, whether or not such embodiments are
described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part
of a described embodiment. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present
invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary
embodiments.

[0077] Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof,
unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as
opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term "including"
should be read as meaning "including, without limitation" or the like;
the term "example" is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in
discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms "a" or
"an" should be read as meaning "at least one," "one or more" or the like;
and adjectives such as "conventional," "traditional," "normal,"
"standard," "known" and terms of similar meaning should not be construed
as limiting the time described to a given time period or to an item
available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass
conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be
available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this
document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of
ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or
known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

[0078] A group of items linked with the conjunction "and" should not be
read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in
the grouping, but rather should be read as "and/or" unless expressly
stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction
"or" should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group,
but rather should also be read as "and/or" unless expressly stated
otherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or component of the
invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is
contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the
singular is explicitly stated.

[0079] The presence of broadening words and phrases such as "one or more,"
"at least," "but not limited to" or other like phrases in some instances
shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required
in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent.

[0080] Additionally, the various embodiments set forth herein are
described in terms of exemplary block diagrams and other illustrations.
As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading
this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives
can be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For
example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be
construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

[0081] Further, the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the
scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar
with patent or legal terms or phraseology to determine quickly from a
cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of
the application. The Abstract is not intended to be limiting as to the
scope of the present invention in any way.